


Lullaby

by stjarna



Series: AoS Advent 2016 [15]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AOS Advent 2016, All mistakes are my own, Babysitting, Fluffy, Gen, Singing, lullaby, prompt: sing, short and fluffy, short and sweet, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 16:02:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8851249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stjarna/pseuds/stjarna
Summary: May is babysitting for Fitzsimmons.Written for Day 15 of the AOS advent 2016 organized by the wonderful theclaravoyant on Tumblr.Prompt: Sing





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lilsciencequeen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilsciencequeen/gifts).



> Fits into [The Ghosts No One Knew]() universe. Makes reference to ["Babyshower"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8841673)

“Sssshhhh, sssshhhh,” May says, rocking the little crying baby boy in her arms. A dim nightlight illuminates the room, and a bit of extra light shines in from the hallway, but May had made sure to close the door halfway, as not to wake up Peggy.

“Come on, Iain,” May pleads with the infant. “Don’t make me do it.”

But the little feet in the swaddled bundle keep kicking and the little mouth keeps screaming, and so May continues to gently bounce the baby up and down… to no avail.

“Alright,” she finally mutters. “Desperate times, desperate measures.” She looks down at the crying boy. “Just remember I gave you a choice.”

May takes a deep breath and wets her lips. Her mind easily recalls the lyrics and the simple sweet melody escapes from the oldest part of her soul where her father had planted it when she was a little girl.

月兒明，風兒靜。  
樹葉掛窗欞。

She notices that Iain’s crying slowly subsides, and a smile flashes across her lips. She keeps on singing.

小寶寶，快睡覺。  
睡在那個夢中。

By the time she begins the second verse, Iain is breathing more calmly, looking at her with sleepy eyes.

月哪個明，風兒哪個靜，  
搖籃輕拍動，

Iain’s eyes are closed and slowly May walks over to the crib, continuing to sing the lullaby.

娘的寶寶閉上眼睛，  
睡呀睡在那個夢中。

She hums the melody another time until she’s sure that the baby in her arms has fallen asleep. Gently she lays him down in his crib, continuing to hum, resting her hand on his belly. She waits a few more minutes, humming more and more quietly, and finally tiptoes to the door, and sneaks out of the room, silently closing the door behind her.

She turns around, and her hand shoots to her chest.

“Peggy!” she exclaims, as quietly as possible. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

“Iain woke me,” the four-year-old girl explains, her hands clutching her favorite sock-puppet.

The corner of May’s mouth briefly quirks up. “Your Monkey Brother has quite a pair of lungs,” she acknowledges and exhales sharply. “Come on, Monkeybutt, let’s get you back to bed.”

She puts her hand on Peggy’s back and gently guides the girl back to her bedroom. Peggy climbs back into her bed, and May covers her with her blanket.

“You used to sing that song for _me_ when you were _my_ baby sister,” Peggy says matter-of-factly.

May chuckles and sits down on the edge of the bed. “Babysitter. It’s called baby _sitter_.” She takes a deep breath. “You remember me singing that for you?”

Peggy nods.

“My Bàba—my Daddy—sang it for me when I was a girl. It’s Chinese,” May explains.

“What does it say?” Peggy asks curiously.

“It’s called The Northeastern Cradle Song. It’s a lullaby. The moon is bright, the wind is quiet,” she translates the lyrics. “The tree leaves hang over the window. My little baby, go to sleep quickly. Sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.” She pauses. “And then there’s the second verse. The moon is bright, the wind is quiet. The cradle moving softly. My little one, close your eyes. Sleep, sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.”

“That’s nice,” Peggy remarks.

“Yes, it is,” May replies. “Time for _you_ to sleep now!” she adds, and boops the toddler’s nose, causing Peggy to chuckle.

May gets up and heads for the door, resting her fingers on the light switch for a moment. “Good night, Peggy,” she says warmly, and turns off the lights. She has the door almost closed when she hears Peggy’s voice.

“Agent May?”

May opens the door a little wider, letting the light from the hallway shine into the room.

“What’s up, Monkeybutt?”

“Could you sing the song for _me_ , Agent May?” Peggy inquires.

May smiles. “Of course,” she replies, walks back to the girl’s bed, and sits back down. She wrinkles her forehead. “Do you _always_ call me Agent May?” she asks befuddled.

“Mama and Daddy call you that,” the toddler remarks.

“Yeah, well, that’s different,” May replies. “You don’t have to call me that.”

“Then what _should_ I call you?” Peggy asks curiously.

* * *

Jemma opens the door, holding Iain on her hip. “Agent May,” she exclaims enthusiastically. “Thanks so much for offering to babysit again!”

“Not a problem,” May says dryly. She steps into the hallway, takes off her boots, and hangs up her leather jacket.

Fitz walks down the stairs. “Agent May, good to see you.”

“Fitz,” May replies tersely, nodding as a greeting.

Suddenly, Peggy darts out of the living room, rushing towards May.

“Nǎinai May! Nǎinai May!” she exclaims, hugging May’s legs.

Jemma and Fitz stand rooted to the spot, exchanging panicked looks.

“I’m terribly sorry, Agent May,” Jemma blurts out apologetically.

“Yeah,” Fitz says wide-eyed, rubbing his neck nervously. “We definitely… _definitely_ did not teach her that!”

“We most _certainly_ remember what you said at her babyshower,” Jemma picks up the apology.

“Where is that [blanket](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8841673)?” Fitz quietly asks his wife panic-stricken. “We should hide that blanket!”

“Oh, Peggy’s a kid. May wouldn’t—” Jemma whispers in Fitz’s direction.

May briefly closes her eyes, chuckling silently. “Relax,” she finally tells Fitzsimmons, while simultaneously stroking the head of the little person who’s still clinging to her legs. “Peggy and I have come to a special agreement.”

“Oh,” Fitzsimmons exclaim in unison, before smiling widely.

“Well, aren’t _you_ a little miracle worker?” Jemma asks her daughter, who looks back at her slightly confused.

“How about you two go off on your date?” May suggests. “Peggy and I have big plans.”

“Nǎinai May is going to teach me a Chinese lullaby,” Peggy exclaims excitedly.

Fitzsimmons mouths gape open.

“You know the drill,” May remarks, looking at Fitzsimmons with stern, piercing eyes. “ _Anyone_ at S.H.I.E.L.D. hears about this—”

“No worries, Agent May,” Fitz interjects.

“Yes,” Jemma adds, raising her eyebrows. “Nobody would believe us anyways.”

**Author's Note:**

> I, unfortunately, don't know _any_ Chinese! All the info about the lullaby is from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeastern_Cradle_Song) (which is really lovely, you should try to youtube it!) and any other Chinese words were Google Translate. I apologize sincerely to any native speakers!


End file.
